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The Pear Deck Power-Up is a free Google Chrome extension that enables videos, animations, and GIFs embedded in your Google Slides to play at full resolution during a live Pear Deck session. The extension is available only in Google Chrome and only for users who sign in to Pear Deck with a Google account. Students do not need to install it.

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What the Power-Up Enables

Without the extension, videos, animations, and GIFs in Google Slides render as static images in a Pear Deck session. With the Power-Up installed:
  • Slide animations and GIFs play on the Projector View and Student View during a live, Instructor-Paced session. They do not play on the Teacher Dashboard.
  • Videos inserted via Insert > Video play on the Projector View. They are not playable on the Teacher Dashboard or Student View. Share the Projector View with the class on a screen or video call so everyone can watch together.
If you want students to play a video on their own screens, add it to a Website slide instead of using the Power-Up extension. See Embed a Website Slide for details.
Gslides, sidebar, start lesson

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Install the Power-Up Extension

Only the teacher or presenter needs to install the extension. To install it on your device:
  1. Go to the Pear Deck Power-Up listing in the Google Chrome Web Store.
  2. Click Add to Chrome.
  3. Click Add Extension to confirm.
When the extension installs successfully, its icon appears in your Chrome toolbar. From that point on, your videos, animations, and GIFs play at full resolution each time you present using the Pear Deck for Google Slides Add-on. You can view and manage your extensions through the Chrome Extensions menu.
If you are a Google Workspace administrator and want to install the Power-Up for all teachers in your domain at once, see Install the Power-Up for Your Domain.

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Present with the Power-Up Active

  1. Open your Google Slides file and start the Pear Deck for Google Slides Add-on sidebar. Click Start Lesson to begin a new session.
  2. When prompted, select Instructor-Paced Mode. The Power-Up only works in Instructor-Paced sessions.
Gslides, presenter modal, instructor-paced selected
  1. The Projector View opens and displays the join instructions for students.
Join instructions-4
  1. Students join the session to see your slides and respond to interactive questions. See Present a Pear Deck Session for a full walkthrough of running an Instructor-Paced session.

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Tips for Presenting

  • Google Slides animations and videos appear only on the Projector View. They are not available on the Student View or Teacher Dashboard.
  • The extension works on one presentation at a time. If you start a second session using the same or a different deck, the interactive slides work normally, but animations, GIFs, and videos on those slides render as static images.
  • To present an additional session without the Power-Up active, open your file from Pear Deck Home, then present from there rather than from the sidebar.

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A Note on Using Animations

The Power-Up adds real flexibility, but your Pear Deck sessions work exactly as they always have without it. The interactive features and student engagement you rely on are unaffected if you never install the extension. That said, visual content works best when it supports the lesson rather than competes with it. Keep animations purposeful and easy to follow. Well-chosen visuals reinforce understanding rather than creating distractions.

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Resources

Present a Pear Deck Session

Walk through running a live Instructor-Paced session from start to finish.

Install the Power-Up for Your Domain

Google Workspace administrators can push the Power-Up extension to all teachers automatically.
Last modified on July 14, 2026